Setting up a downhill horse for AMHA?

[hobbyhorse23]

I am pretty new to halter but since I want to show this year and the colt is only two I'm going to make a brief foray onto the scene. He's already run himself into great shape in the paddock, very tucked-up and slim as far as I can tell under all that hair, so conditioning shouldn't be a problem. I do exercises in-hand which have been strengthening his upper neck and we're doing some cavaletti work to help his locking stifles which should also build his topline once he figures out how to do it correctly.

I'm working on standing and putting ears up and some days go better than others.

He was doing pretty well on attentively watching me but this weekend I swear the devil got into him and he was just a BRAT. Those ears were pinned 90% of the time! Oh well- he's a baby. That happens and tomorrow he'll probably be fine.

So anyway, I know how to train them to set feet off body language and he's getting that pretty quickly. I have some idea on how to train rocking their weight back, putting ears up and hooking the neck but welcome tips on those things. What I'm really looking for is how I should be positioning his feet to make him look his best. This colt is very butt-high and comes from a line that stays that way so it's likely to be a permanent problem. He moves uphill, thank God, but standing is another issue. Obviously the croup drops when stretched but I know AMHA is very strict about that and he has a tendency to way over-do it anyway so I can't use that trick. He seems to look best standing with one hind leg vertical under him ("square") and the other hind leg slightly offset out behind him and according to the rulebook that should be fine for both registries I think.

He's got a heck of a neck and looks fabulous puffing up to check out new things but right now goes totally flat when I ask him to halter. For the moment I'm concentrating entirely on his feet and getting him to rock his weight back so we can bring that neck up out of the withers, and then on watching me with his ears up. I'm going to totally ignore the neck until those things are down.

How would YOU show and train this colt?? I never have gotten down the trick of "setting the croup" with your fingers.

Leia

P.S.- Recent standing pictures to come but you can see him if you look up "Oak Bay Turbocharged Edition" on the forum.

 

[disneyhorse]

Well, in AMHA you can't park them out as far as is the norm in AMHR so that would be the most obvious solution.

The only other "trick" you can do is (does anyone have a term for this?) press your fingers into his loin/croup to encourage him to rock his hip forward/down which people mostly use to flatten the topline and raise the tail a little bit.

Pretty much though, don't worry about it. There is only so much you can do with conformation! Just go and have fun. Youngsters, you're just lucky if they can get all four feet square for any length of time, much less finesse those problem areas.

Have fun,

Andrea

 

[Miniv]

Andrea already SAID it! But she knows how to say it BETTER.

I learned that trick from Joanne Ross many years ago....... That woman was/IS a MASTER.

 

[hobbyhorse23]

So how do you DO that trick?? I've tried every variety of digging my fingers into their rumps and all I get from any of my horses (including the Arab!

) is to make them move off in annoyance. I've seen it done but can't tell what the magic is.

Leia

 

[disneyhorse]

You sort of have to find "the spot". Use two fingers (usually thumb and middle finger) to push down on the muscles on either side of their backbone. Don't push the vertebrae themselves, that hurts!

It's usually somewhere along the back, but in front of the sacrum (that pointy part of the hip bone in the spine if that makes any sense).

Don't overdo it... save it for right before the judge comes. You don't want to annoy your horses!

But just push down (somewhat hard) until you get the response you are looking for. Your horse has to be set up, too, or it won't work the way you need.

Andrea

 

[Maple Hollow Farm]

One thing I have seen people do during shows too is to either make a impression in the dirt to put the back feet in or to mound up dirt for the front feet. I have a level horse when she is on level ground but if I drop her backend into a hole she looks off so take that into consideration, if you put the hind end on a high spot in the dirt your horse will be even more off.

 

[hobbyhorse23]

Hmm, good point!

Note to self: Watch out for holes.

Thanks Andrea, I hadn't realized it was supposed to be in front of the sacrum. It's always looked like it was right over or just behind the point of the hips.

Leia

 

[disneyhorse]

Yep, in front of the sacrum. You are basically kind of getting them to drop their back a little bit, which will rock the back of the hip/tailbone up and forward.

Andrea

 

[susanne]

Show AMHR?

(Just kidding, but easier than searching for holes or bringing a shovel...)

 

[joylee123]

Show AMHR?
(Just kidding, but easier than searching for holes or bringing a shovel...)

:rofl

:rofl

[SIZE=12pt]Thanks you just made my day!!! Too cute!![/SIZE]

Joy

 

[Miniv]

If all else fails........try running your forefinger and thumb down either side of his spine from mid back down......and watch how he FLATTENS OUT. That will show you!

 

[hobbyhorse23]

If all else fails........try running your forefinger and thumb down either side of his spine from mid back down......and watch how he FLATTENS OUT. That will show you!

That's the problem- I get my horses so accepting of me touching every part of their body in preparation for harness work and clipping that I can't get them to show me reflex actions anymore!

Anyone else can, but they won't do it for me.

I'll try it once the baby's clipped and see if I can get him to do it.

Leia

 

[wildoak]

I've found that some horses are much more willing to "give" to that pressure on their backs than others. You might as well be pushing on a brick wall for all it's worth with our sr stallion - when he was showing I tried that in vain, and have noticed it with some of his offspring as well. I don't know whether it's due to muscling across the back or just individual differences, but it doesn't work with every horse.

Jan